New Year, New Opportunities!
Happy 2026! It may be winter here in Golden, but there’s still plenty going on at the Colorado Railroad Museum. This is a great time for a family visit— starting in mid-January we’ve got Saturday Train Rides, Story Time & Craft, and special guided tours taking place on selected dates. We’re also resuming Galloping Goose Rides on select Tuesdays this winter and spring. Here’s a preview of what’s heading our way at the Museum in the New Year:
- The Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday. While winter weather can sometimes be challenging, weekdays this time of year can also be quiet and relaxing. There are great photo opportunities and the chance to explore your favorite rail vehicles without distraction. On rare occasions, severe weather may require the Museum to close for safety. Before heading out, please check the Museum’s website for the latest updates on hours and operations.
- Saturday Train Rides Return January 17! Comfortable closed and open cars are available for seating, depending on the weather. All Aboard for a fun and relaxing Saturday experience! Advance ticket purchase is recommended, especially if you have a specific time you wish to ride. Members, don’t forget, you can reserve a train time free of charge online as well. If you’re looking for somewhere to take the family, make the Museum part of your plans!
- Galloping Goose Rides will operate selected Tuesdays Mid-January-early May. Galloping Goose No. 7—while offering a very unique ride opportunity—has only limited seating capacity, so we will be offering these on selected Tuesdays beginning January 13, coinciding with other popular family programming.
- Record Year End Support! The Museum is incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support received this year! Thanks to your generosity, there has been an outpouring of year end contributions, which will allow the Museum to continue preserving and sharing Colorado’s rich railroad heritage. Your support makes all the difference, and we look forward to an exciting year ahead!
In this issue of the Telegrapher, you’ll find all of these topics—and more—covered for your review. We appreciate your interest in the Museum and thank you for your continued support. Please stay warm and safe, and we look forward to seeing you soon in Golden!
Paul Hammond
Executive Director
IN THIS ISSUE:
Galloping Goose Rides are Back!
2026 Admission Changes
Saturday Train Rides Resume January 17
Record Year End Support!
Tuesday Storybook Tours Continue
2026 Steam-Up Weekends Scheduled!
Rio Grande Southern No. 20 at Durango
New Online Content
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Galloping Goose Rides are Back!Selected Tuesdays mid-January-early May
The Colorado Railroad Museum is pleased to announce the return of Galloping Goose Train Rides in early 2026. Operations will begin on Tuesday, January 13th. After that, the Goose will operate on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday each month through early May! Plus, starting Sunday, February 15, 2026, Goose Rides will be offered each Sunday through mid-May. These unique Goose Rides will be offered from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on select Tuesdays, coinciding with family programming at the Museum. Ride Tickets (in addition to regular admission) are $5 for adults and seniors, and $2 ages 2-17.
Galloping Goose No. 7, built in 1936, offers a unique ride experience. Converted from a four-door, 1926 Pierce-Arrow model 33 sedan, it was the final Goose to be built for southwestern Colorado’s famed Rio Grande Southern narrow gauge railroad. Want to learn more before your journey? CLICK HERE to watch No. 7’s Big Train Tour episode for a complete, illustrated history. All Aboard!
Click Here to view our Train Ride calendar, see when the Galloping Goose will be operating next, and book your tickets today!
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2026 Admission Changes
Updates to Museum Admission in the New Year
Beginning in 2026, the Colorado Railroad Museum is implementing modest price increases. These will help keep pace with rising operational costs, while allowing the Museum to continue providing an affordable and enjoyable experience for all visitors.
Adult Admission will now be $12, with Adult Train Ride tickets priced at $5; and Senior Admission will now be $10, with Senior Train Ride tickets $5. Child Admission (ages 2-17) remains just $5, with Child Train Ride tickets remaining just $2 (these last are unchanged from 2025 prices)!
Special Event Tickets, which include both Museum admission and a train ride, will be $17 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $7 for children when purchased online in advance. This Admission-Train Ride combination is the only purchase option available on selected, busy special event days including Colorado Crossings (mid-May), Dinosaur Express Train (late May), and Harvest Haunt Express (October). Please note that on-site Special Event ticket purchases will also see changes in 2026 (see below).
On-Site Special Event Ticket Purchases: Starting in 2026, the Museum is incentivizing advance, online ticket purchase, in order to avoid overcrowding and lack of parking availability on busy Special Event days. Tickets purchased in-person on Special Event days will cost an additional $5 per person. In-person Special Event ticket prices will be $22 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $12 for children.
The Colorado Railroad Museum has not raised admission prices in nearly a decade, and we take pride in offering fun and enjoyable activities and events. The Museum remains committed to being an accessible destination for visitors from around the world to learn about the rich history of railroading in the Rocky Mountain region. Our goal remains simple: To preserve and share Colorado’s rich railroad heritage for generations to come!
Members enjoy free admission and regular train rides all year! Interested in a membership with the Museum? Learn more and sign up at www.ColoradoRailroadMuseum.org/membership or call us at (303) 279-4591 during business hours.
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Saturday Train Rides Resume January 17
(Museum Open Tuesday-Sunday)
Saturday Train Rides will resume on January 17th and continue every Saturday through mid-May! (After that, the frequency increases for the summer, with Train Rides available Thursday-Sunday from mid-May through mid-August.) Trains depart every half-hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a lunch break for the crew at 12:30 p.m. (no departure at that time).
The 2026 operating season features trains pulled by one of our trusty diesel-electric locomotives, with both open-air and enclosed coaches for your enjoyment (weather-dependent). We recommend advance ticket purchase; on busy days, selected departures often sell out. Members, don’t forget that you can also book your tickets in advance, at no charge, for regular train rides!
Train Tickets (in addition to regular admission) are $5 for adults and seniors, and $2 for ages 2-17. Remember, Museum Membership provides free admission and regular train rides year-round! Not a member? Visit www.ColoradoRailroadMuseum.org/membership to learn more, or call us at (303) 279-4591 during business hours.
As always, the Museum will be open Tuesday-Sunday (closed Mondays) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On days when winter weather is especially challenging, call us at (303) 279-4591 to make sure we’re open. There are occasional days when the snow is so deep or the ice so slick that it’s simply not safe for us to open the Museum. But most of the time we’re here like clockwork, so you can enjoy your visit.
All Aboard!
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Record Year End Support
Thank you for your generosity!
Sharing Colorado’s rich railroad heritage with guests and audiences of all ages and backgrounds is at the heart of what the Colorado Railroad Museum exists to do. We’re proud of the many improvements made to our programs and facilities over the past decade.
As we’ve highlighted in recent editions of The Telegrapher and other communications, your support has helped the Museum achieve major milestones this year, including significant facility upgrades, rolling stock restorations, and more. Highlights include restoration work on Denver & Rio Grande Western No. 491, continued progress on an accessible viewing platform that will allow guests to better explore our historic rolling stock, and facility enhancements such as the installation of a new restroom on the east side of the Museum’s campus. We also launched Traqueros: Mexican Trackworkers and the American Railroad, a groundbreaking exhibit celebrating the vital, yet often overlooked, contributions of Mexican trackworkers to the American railroad industry.
This year, in response to our Giving Tuesday, Colorado Gives Day, and mailed Annual Appeal solicitations, we’ve received a record outpouring of support. We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you who has shown your commitment to preserving and sharing Colorado’s rich railroad heritage with a year-end contribution.
It’s not too late to include your support! Want to learn more about the Museum’s 2025 accomplishments and plans for 2026? Visit - https://coloradorailroadmuseum.org/donate-now/
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Tuesday Storybook Tours Continue!
Tours Return in February 2026!
Starting on February 3rd, on the first Tuesday of every month for the remainder of 2026, join us for a unique Storybook Tour! Intended for young children and their parents, the tour starts at 10:30 a.m. and lasts approximately 45 minutes. Cost is $3 per person, plus Museum admission. Join us for the next Storybook Tour on Tuesday, February 3rd!
This one-of-a-kind tour takes you on a trip throughout the Museum’s railyard, inspired by some of the best of children’s literature—railroad themed, of course! The Little Engine That Could, the Little Red Caboose and of course, Donald Crews’ Freight Train provide the suitable inspiration for this adventure at the Colorado Railroad Museum.
Our ongoing Friday Tours continue every week, of course, each with a different theme. Visit our website for the latest updates and to discover the upcoming themes. And thank you for your continued interest and support!
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2026 Steam-Up Weekends Scheduled!
Among the most often-requested information from the Colorado Railroad Museum every year is “When will you be running a steam locomotive next?” To help you with planning for the year, here’s a quick list of the events that will feature steam at the Museum in 2026!
- Small Wonders Weekend, May 2-3, 2026
- Colorado Crossings, May 16-17, 2026
- Dinosaur Express Train, May 30-31, 2026
- Colorado Power Days, June 20-21, 2026
- Wild West Days, August 8-9, 2026
- Harvest Haunt Express, October 17-18, 2026
We’ll have more information available about each of these events as they draw closer. For the latest updates, please visit our website.
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Rio Grande Southern No. 20 at Durango
Special Excursions this winter!
In case you haven’t heard, the Colorado Railroad Museum has partnered with the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) for special excursions departing out of Durango in January and February 2026! These special trains will be headed by the Museum’s own Rio Grande Southern steam locomotive No. 20, which traveled to Durango in November in preparation.
A limited number of tickets are still available on the D&SNG website, for excursions from Durango to Cascade Canyon and return pulled by No. 20. Each lasts about 5 hours, and will include photo stops along the way. If this is something that you think you’d find interesting, don’t delay—visit https://www.durangotrain.com/excursions/rgs-20-to-cascade-canyon/ today!
This spring, Rio Grande Southern caboose No. 0404 also traveled to Durango for a long-awaited restoration. With this work complete, No. 0404 is expected to join steam locomotive No. 20 on one or more of its special excursions out of Durango this winter. These initiatives are part of the Museum’s Colorado 150/America 250 commemorations planned all through 2026!
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The Latest Online ContentNew Virtual Programs Released!
During the month of December, the Colorado Railroad Museum’s staff team once again worked to create new programs that YOU can experience in the comfort of your own home. All Aboard, Online!
Plus, another Big Train Tour will be debuting later this month highlighting Rio Grande Southern caboose No. 0404. Stay tuned!
Now available are new episodes of all our popular, ongoing series, including the latest Story Time & Craft episode. And, if you’re craving some delicious food, you won’t want to miss our latest Dining on the Rails post, featuring a vintage delicacy: Mock Turtle Soup.
These videos help you to experience Colorado’s rich railroading heritage even if you can’t make it to the Museum in person this month. Click Here to search the latest video offerings on our website!
There’s Lots More Content to Like, Share and Follow! Whether you’re on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, the Colorado Railroad Museum posts interesting tidbits, stories, and videos throughout the week. Come along as we visit a “Railroad Attraction of the Month” throughout the year (for December this was Durango’s Railroad Museum) a “Highlight of the Collection” (for December this was the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club’s Drumhead) and see what’s going on with programs and exhibits, in the Museum Roundhouse, and more.
Click Here to see a collected feed of all our Social Media channels and posts, and “find your follow!”
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| Thanks to our generous Sponsors & Partners
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